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CHAPTER SIX
AARON CARRIED JULIE bodily up the hill, slinging her over his shoulder as if she weighed nothing. Her sunglasses and Akubra joined her phone on the lawn.
“What are you doing?” she yelled, but he didn’t answer, only ran faster toward the lodge. Julie caught a glimpse of the surprised faces of the two swimmers as they flashed by, and then they were up the stairs and back inside the lodge.
Once inside, he lowered her gently onto her feet, and she exploded. “What the hell?” she demanded. “Why are you manhandling me like some kind of caveman?” She slapped at his arms, which were still wrapped around her waist like bands of steel. Very firm, very brawny, bands of steel. There were definitely muscles which hadn’t been there before. She would’ve remembered muscles like this.
Aaron had changed in so many ways. Not only was he more way more serious than she remembered, but she could also add commanding to the list. Or should that be overbearing? Dominating, even? The way he was carrying her had left her no recourse to argue. He’d just picked her up like a sack of potatoes and carried her inside.
He finally let her go, but his eyes darted everywhere, not resting on anything for long, and certainly not looking at her. What was going on? That creep had been spouting his nonsense, and then, all of a sudden, Aaron had gone crazy.
“My cell phone is still out there,” she said, pointing through the doors while readjusting her rumpled clothing.
“Leave it there for now,” he growled. “We’ll get it later.” Then he took her by the elbow and began escorting her toward the rear of the lodge.
“What…?” She tried to pull away from him.
Aaron stopped and stared pointedly at her, his one blue eye flashing dark indigo—a sign that meant he was angry. Really angry. But why was he angry with her?
“Think Julie. That creep knew what you were wearing.”
“So wha…Oh. Jeezes,” she replied faintly, the implication finally sinking in. It meant the stalker guy had been watching her. Meant that he must be here on the station somewhere. Her heart stuttered in her chest, and she moved closer to Aaron. His large, solid body offered a feeling of security. She’d been wrong. Her stalker was capable of more than she imagined. This was getting out of control. She welcomed Aaron’s presence; was suddenly terribly glad he was here. How had she suddenly gone from not wanting a bodyguard to feeling the need for Aaron’s presence? It was more than a tad ironic.
“Exactly,” Aaron replied. “We need to get you somewhere safe, away from all the doors and windows. And away from all the guests,” he added darkly.
“Was it the people in the pool?” she asked dazedly, wondering if the man she’d waved at merrily only minutes before was her crazed stalker.
“No.” Aaron stated matter-of-factly. “I checked, both of them were still swimming, neither of them anywhere near their phones. And they both looked as surprised as you did,” he added.
“Well, if it wasn’t them, then who?” Her head was spinning, and it was only partially from being carried on Aaron’s broad shoulders up the hill. The stalker had been here. On the station. It was too much for her to compute.
“I don’t know. But I have a hunch he wasn’t watching us while he made the phone call, otherwise he would probably have mentioned me, because I was standing right there next to you.” Aaron walked over and deftly closed and locked the large French doors leading out to the veranda, squinting into the sunshine as if he expected someone to leap from the bushes at any second. “I need to get you somewhere safe,” he said again.
“The family suite is down at the end of the west wing,” she offered numbly. “No guests are allowed down there.”
“Show me,” he commanded.
She led him down the darkened hallway, jumping at every shadow. Her breathing was coming in ragged bursts, and she had to concentrate hard on getting it under control. She was in no immediate danger, she kept telling herself. Aaron was here, he’d protect her.
Aaron pulled her to a stop outside the door to Daniella’s office. He knocked once, but without waiting for an answer, he opened the door and said, “I need my weapons.” Holding up a hand, he forestalled her questions. “Then, can you please go and collect Julie’s phone and other stuff she dropped down by the billabong and bring them to the family suit? I’ll explain when you get there.”
“Of course, whatever you want,” Daniella replied, all efficiency, as she bent to unlock her safe. Julie wasn’t half as convinced by her stepmother’s show of acceptance as Aaron clearly was. It must be shock quelling Daniella’s tongue right now. Or perhaps it was Julie’s pale face; if she looked half as frightened as she felt, Daniella would be able to see it written all over her features. Daniella would be seething with questions. She was a self-confessed control freak, and she ran a tight ship at the luxury lodge. Which wasn’t always a bad thing, and for the most part, Julie thought her stepmother did a great job. She cared deeply, but she liked to hide those emotions behind her façade of proficiency and calm leadership.
Daniella squeezed Julie’s arm in an effort to show solidarity as Aaron opened the black case. Inside sat a sizable handgun that made Julie gawp in astonishment, another, smaller gun, and a holster. They both watched in fascination as he retrieved the larger weapon and holster, then handed the case back for Daniella to return to the safe. He quickly removed his sports coat, slipped on his shoulder holster, and snapped the gun in place. It was slightly surreal watching Aaron’s smooth, practiced movements. It was still hard for Julie to reconcile this version of Aaron—clearly highly trained, skilful, militant, and fierce—with the softer Aaron she’d once known.
“See you in the family suite,” Aaron said, already steering Julie out the door, his hand resting lightly on her elbow. Daniella pursed her lips and gave him the barest of nods.
“I shouldn’t have taken you outside. It was careless of me,” Aaron muttered under his breath as they stalked down the dark hallway. His fingers tightened around her elbow. He sounded angrier at himself than her, and she finally understood. He’d didn’t like the fact he’d been caught by surprise. It was self-reproach that’d caused his anger. At least he wasn’t mad at her. Aaron had always been his own worst critic, even back when he’d been a simple jackaroo. He hated to let anyone down and would always take any criticism to heart. Julie remembered that she’d thought his misdirected sense of duty might have come from his mother, who’d always seemed overcritical of Aaron, on the few times Julie had met her.
Julie led him into the family sitting room and stopped by the leather couch, unsure what to do next. Aaron took charge, striding over and tugging the heavy curtains across the large windows, so the room was plunged into semi-darkness. A small table lamp sat only a few feet away, and she switched it on.
“Are there any other entry points to this room?” he asked.
“The door over there leads to the outside. It’s a shortcut for us to get to the stables if we need to. But we always keep it locked,” she added.
Aaron strode over and checked the door, anyway. The door handle rattled loudly as he shook it with his large hand, but it stayed locked, just like she’d said it should be.
“Who has keys to this door?” he asked, coming back to the middle of the room.
